


More of a Queen

by fogsblue



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Someone smacking the Doctor over the head with the obvious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-13 23:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2170179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fogsblue/pseuds/fogsblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A queen offers the Doctor some advice about Rose and her place in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More of a Queen

**Author's Note:**

> Started based on a sentence prompt. Stopped and picked up again. However, serious type fics tend to escape me so it turns into fluff. Not sorry.

The Queen looks to the Doctor, resting on the King’s throne. He’s unhappy and his eyes rarely stray from his Rose, dancing through the crowd. Beth sighs. All day, she has watched as the Doctor has pushed Rose away from him, letting others take his time and attention. Allowing others to treat her like a child as they raised him up. She herself had been flattered as the Doctor flirted with her, something no one had done since the passing of her husband, years before. 

But now, as the young woman stays away from him, moving around the garden like a butterfly, bringing colour and light to every corner, Beth knows that whatever the Doctor’s intentions, they have little to do with her and everything to do with Rose.

“Your Rose,” Beth begins, raising her hand trying to forestall his obvious argument about who Rose really belongs to. However, the Doctor isn’t letting that stop him. 

He mutters, “She’s not my Rose. A Time Lord does not look at a human. There are rules against it.”

Beth frowns. “Who made these rules, Doctor? Who says a Time Lord cannot desire to hold a human?” The Queen pauses, watching the young human in question as she smiles at the man serving her wine. “Is it all humans that are unacceptable? Or is it that a human must be royal to be worthy of your attention?”

The Doctor flinches and she knows she’s hit the mark as she continues, “Really watch her now, your Rose. She talks with everyone, shares her dances without a care for who they are, or their standing. She moves from one and yet, they smile as she goes. Each of them feels better for having spoken with her. There’s not a person present who isn’t drawn to her and Rose, she tries to give each her attention. To her, every person is important.”

He nods and sighs. “Rose has always been that way. She cares, about everyone. Even if it hurts her.”

“But, Doctor, what you fail to realise is that Rose,” Beth says, waiting for the Doctor to look at her, “she is more of a queen than I am.”

Frowning, he looks between them. Beth on her throne, dressed immaculately, sitting straight and tall, the weight she always carried resting on her shoulders with dignity and Rose, who almost dances around the garden, dressed casually in jeans and a tee, appearing carefree, like there’s nothing that can weigh her down. The Doctor asks, “Rose? She is many things but…”

Sighing, Beth stands taking a step forward before turning back to the Doctor and saying, “I may have the blood of royalty, the title by birth right, but if you were to ask any of _my_ people down there who they wanted seated up here? I can’t help but think, Doctor, that each of them would choose Rose. I might hold their throne, but your Rose? She holds their hearts.”

For a long moment the Doctor is silent, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, he says, “I understand what you’re saying, but there is more to being a queen than the people loving her.”

Gesturing for the Doctor to stand, Beth steps down from the dais, saying, “You are right, Doctor. But I ask you, in the time you have known your Rose, have you ever know her to step back from what needs to be done?” He shakes his head. “Has she ever stepped back from a necessary confrontation? Has Rose ever avoided making a needed decision? Or for her to send someone else in her own place? Knowledge can be learnt, courage like that cannot.” 

The Doctor sighs, shaking his head and admitting, “No. Rose will do whatever it takes to help others. To keep them safe.”

“But, people continue to follow her. There is always someone willing to help her with whatever task stands before her, correct?” Beth asks.

His jaw clenches and she recognises his jealousy as he nods, muttering, “Yes. Always.”

“I may have the right to sit upon the throne. My people have no real choice to but to obey me. If I was to tell them all to fight for me, for our country, the majority would. But many of them would be unhappy and asking why,” she says.

“What is your point, Your Majesty?” the Doctor asks, annoyance colouring his voice.

“My point, Doctor, is your Rose, she would not even need to ask,” Beth says, turning to Rose and smiling softly as she watches the young woman talk to the Prince. Looking briefly back at the Doctor, she continues, “A queen, or king, can be anyone. They can be kind or cruel, just or not. Many rule by simple fear. It is rare indeed for one to hold the hearts of their people. But those remembered most fondly by history? They offer their own hearts, not for exchange, but simply because they know no other way. Your Rose, she would be one such queen.”

For a time, they walk around the garden. Beth greets those who pass them by and takes time to talk with those who ask. All the while, she watches the Doctor, who remains uncharacteristically quiet. Occasionally he responds to a direct question, but more often he stay silent, lost in whatever thoughts plague him.

As they near the woman who has been their topic of conversation, she places a hand on the Doctor’s arm and stops, smiling. Beth’s son, her only child, stands with Rose, the smile on his face matched by the grin on hers as they talk. 

Leaning towards the Doctor and almost whispering, Beth says, “It is possible though, that your Rose, could become _our_ Rose and be Queen in title as well as in the people’s hearts.”

The Doctor frowns, clenching his teeth as he watches Rose talk with the Prince. At the moment she places her hand in the young royal’s, stepping towards to music with a grin, he growls, then blinks, surprised at himself. He glances towards the Queen who, with a knowing smile, says, “For all you claim not to be looking, Doctor, or wanting, you seem to be upset when others do.”

Attempting to deflect, he asks, “It doesn’t bother you that she’s not royalty? You would let your son… court her?”

Beth gently shakes her head. For all the Doctor’s knowledge, he often lacks wisdom. She explains, “Of course. If Rose would make him happy, and he would do the same for her, I would not stop them.” Watching her son and Rose dance, she smiles. “As I said, her birth plays no part in who Rose is. Or who she could be.”

Opening his mouth, the Doctor pauses, then closes it and turns to watch the dance. There’s a truth to what the Queen says, as much as he would like to deny it. Where Rose comes from has only served to make her who she is and there is no fault in her for that. He’s known since the day he met her that for all she can sometimes be rough around the edges, she has depths so many people miss, dismissing her simply as a girl from a council estate. He knows that, better than anyone.

To himself, though Beth hears, the Doctor murmurs, “She deserves to be, at the very least, treated like a queen.”

Beth places a hand on his arm and he turns his attention to her as she says, “She does. But, ask yourself Doctor, if she was to be anyone’s queen, who would she choose as her subject?”   
Offering him a last smile, she adds, “But, Doctor, I would suggest you do not waste time. One such as Rose will not wait forever.”

The Doctor is barely aware as the Queen moves away to talk to her people, lost in the sight of Rose’s tongue-touched grin being shared with the Prince. For so long, he’s been sure that holding himself apart from her has been the right thing to do. Not just for Rose, but for himself. He’s deluded himself into thinking she would stay forever anyway. It is possible she would, but then, should someone else capture her attention, her heart, why would she choose to stay with him?

He sighs. He knows why she would stay and he’s selfish enough to let her. But can he stand to watch her constantly gathering people to her, but never forming a lasting connection. And if she does, what then? Would he bring them both? Watch Rose live and love and know that the seething feeling would be pure jealousy, knowing that if only he’d taken a chance, it could have been him. Wishing it was him.

Walking towards the dancing Rose, the Doctor makes his decision. 

Tapping the Prince on the shoulder, he cuts into the man’s dance with Rose, taking her hand. She places one on his shoulder, letting him keep hold of the other. Gently he rests his on her waist. He can see the question in her eyes, but she glances away and doesn’t ask. They dance, quietly, calmly. Not at all like them. He wishes Rose would ask her question, make a joke, sneak in some dance moves that don’t belong, because for the first time in months, he doesn’t want to deflect but he no idea where to start.

As the music changes the Doctor pulls Rose closer, leading her in the dance. Moving her away from the other guests, from the watchful eyes of the Queen and her son. What he wants to say, to do, he doesn’t think he’s brave enough to do with an audience. 

“Doctor?” Rose asks, her brow furrowing as they stop. 

They’re hidden in the back corner of the garden now, out of sight and sound, he hopes as he whispers, “Rose, I… You deserve so much better.” She frowns, opening her mouth, but the Doctor cuts her off, “You deserve a life like this. Where you’re treated like a queen. Reminded everyday of how amazing you are. Not dragged around, and,” he looks down at his feet, “taken for granted. But,” he looks back up at her, whispering, “Rose, I want…”

Rose steps closer and the Doctor can see that spark that she’s been suppressing flicker back to life and he hopes that maybe he’s still her choice. Taking a breath, she asks, “What, Doctor? What d’you want?”

“You, Rose Tyler,” he says and it’s like a weight lifts from his chest as a smile lights up her face. “I can’t promise you a kingdom, or that I’ll always treat you like a queen. But I can promise that you’ll always be _my_ queen.”

For a moment, there’s silence. Then Rose giggles. It takes her a moment to finally still long enough to say, “Oh, Doctor.” 

He raises an eyebrow and quirks his lips. “It was a bit cheesy, wasn’t it?”

She nods, still laughing and at the sight of her, so joyful, he finds himself joining in. Eventually, Rose pulls herself together enough to wrap her arms around him, and she whispers in his ear, “I kinda liked it though. Does it mean you’ll do what I say?”

“Well,” he murmurs, burying his face in her hair and sliding his own arms around her, “It depends what you ask.”

Pulling back enough to look up at him, she quirks her head to the side and says, “Kiss me?”

“Oh yes!” he replies, proceeding to lean down, capturing her lips with his. As her lips move under his, the Doctor can’t help but wonder why he’s spent so long running from this. Why he’s been so sure that Rose wasn’t for him. When she clutches at his jacket, he only has two thoughts in mind. One is simply that he’s going to spend as much time as she will let him, simply kissing Rose. The other is much more important and he holds her closer, tighter and vows that he’ll never let her go.

The Doctor and Rose are so lost in the moment that they miss the appearance of the Queen, whispering to her advisor that their Lady Rose and her Doctor will need a room for the night. Or maybe a few nights, she thinks, smiling. 

Clapping her hands, Beth gestures to the guests, directing them from the gardens, giving the Time Lord and his Lady some privacy.


End file.
